Prosecutor: Standoff suspect fired toward Hmong woman

JUNCTION CITY – An elderly man fired a handgun toward his neighbor, a Hmong woman who was working in her garden, before he was involved in an armed standoff with police Monday afternoon in Junction City, according to Portage County District Attorney Louis Molepske.

Henry Kaminski, 80, was still in custody Tuesday morning at the Portage County Jail and was being held on a $5,000 cash bond following a brief court appearance. Molepske, who spoke during the hearing, said the incident began when Kaminski began yelling and fired a gun toward his Hmong neighbors. His neighbors in the 1100 block of Main Street in Junction City reported the incident to emergency dispatchers shortly before 3:30 p.m. Monday.

“He was shooting toward a woman who was defenseless working in a garden,” Molepske said in an interview with USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin following the hearing.

Kaminski made multiple derogatory comments toward Hmong people after he was arrested, including making the statement that “he didn’t like Hmong people” and claimed “they were taking over Junction City,” Molepske said.